Now that she has two-and-a-half months under her belt as the executive director of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, Betsy Markey has come up with three major areas of focus for her term moving forward: Renewable energy, hemp and an increase in employee-owned businesses.

Street-facing development, more frequent transit routes and wider sidewalks are parts of five citywide plans aimed at creating a more inclusive, connected and healthy city over the next 20 years. Denver officials introduced the plans on Tuesday, which come after the city's three-year Denveright outreach and planning effort and more than 25,000 comments and pieces of input from residents, neighborhood groups and community leaders.

The companies on this year's list of largest tech employers didn't get there by remaining stagnant in the hiring department, and many told Denver Business Journal their Denver presence will continue to grow substantially. Here are 12 companies that shared how many employees they're planning to hire in Denver in the next 12 months.

To diversify its workforce, a company needs a diverse pipeline of applicants. Part of Denver’s challenge is that a large portion of tech companies are high-growth startups where they simply need bodies to get the work done and take the company to the next level.

The new chief financial officer at Angi Homeservices (Nasdaq: ANGI) is one of the youngest female executives in that role across all public companies nationwide. The combined company of HomeAdvisor and Angie’s List named Jamie Cohen as its next CFO, replacing Glenn H. Schiffman, who has held a dual role as CFO of Angi Homerservices and its parent company IAC. Schiffman will stay on at IAC.

Last week, payroll and HR software startup Gusto revealed that it had appointed Lee as its chief security officer. Lee most recently served as the head of information security at Square (NYSE: SQ), a San Francisco-based payments processing company. He has also worked at Bank of America and Twilio, a communications platform that specializes in text messaging and voice communication.

Denver's Regional Transportation District and ride-sharing service Lyft are teaming up to help streamline the use of public transportation. The "Nearby Transit" feature within the Lyft app will show riders all nearby public transit routes and schedules, according to a release from RTD.

While Broomfield’s Baseline development, also known as Science City, was passed over for Amazon’s second headquarters, there are bigger plans for the 1,100-acre property. Over the next 30 years, Broomfield, McWhinney Real Estate Services and other partners hope to transform the development into a park similar to Research Triangle Park.

Looking for a high school with a strong emphasis on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)? Ratings and review site Niche has released its annual ranking of the best schools, including the best high schools for STEM in Colorado.

A new internet provider is setting up shop in Denver, promising high speeds, a simple setup and straightforward pricing. Starry, the internet startup born out of Aereo, the defunct New York TV company that was shut down by the Supreme Court in 2014, is launching in 18 cities this year, including Denver. It has been operating in New York City, Los Angeles and Boston since the company launched in January 2016.

San Francisco-based Lyft marks the first major unicorn this year to publicly submit its IPO application to regulators and how it fares in the IPO process will be closely watched, potentially setting the tone and timing of how Uber and other unicorns like Airbnb, Slack and Postmates proceed with their offerings.

Gov. Jared Polis has ambitious plans for the blockchain industry in Colorado. “Our goal and my goal would be with you is to make sure that Colorado is truly the national hub for blockchain innovation in business and in government and with your help, we’ll get that done,” Polis said. Polis announced this goal Wednesday morning at the first-ever Blockchain Day at the Capitol event.

As politicians debate how to improve the nation’s expensive — and some would say broken — health care system, Americans are eagerly turning to the latest tech devices in hopes of preventing and detecting medical problems early and avoiding costly trips to the doctor or emergency room.

A bill aiming to provide clarity on state securities laws for cryptocurrency companies has passed in the Colorado Senate and House of Representatives unanimously and is headed for Gov. Jared Polis’ desk for his signature.

Boulder-based Zayo Group Holdings Inc. is being circled again by Blackstone Group and Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners. The communications infrastructure company had been focused on spinning off its enterprise side of its business this year, but it has been reported that it's preparing for a takeover. Company officials have declined to comment on any potential deals.

Polis is building on work done over the past year by the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade to attract national interest for the economically lagging areas using tax breaks.

Officials from Boston-based Carbonite (Nasdaq: CARB) last week announced the company is acquiring Webroot, one of Colorado’s pioneer cybersecurity firms, in an all-cash deal. The acquisition is expected to immediately boost Carbonite’s earnings and cash flow. Webroot reported about $215 million in revenue for its most recent fiscal year, which ended June 30, 2018. But what will it mean for Webroot’s headquarters in Broomfield? In an interview with Denver Business Journal, Potts said once the deal closes sometime this quarter, the newly combined company will “absolutely have a significant presence” in Colorado.

HomeAdvisor is getting into the home warranty business after acquiring a Texas startup that makes that experience easier and more on-demand. Angi Homeservices (Nasdaq: ANGI), the combined company made up of HomeAdvisor and Angie’s List, acquired Fixd Repair, executives said Friday morning. The Fixd app aims to be the Uber of home renovation services. It allows a homeowner to schedule, pay and actually watch a contractor’s car on a map approach a user’s home — a feature called “track my pro.”